Alison Lockhart is a native of Montauk. She and her husband Cole are struggling to recover from a tragic loss and their relationship is in tatters. Alison in particular is overcome by sadness, anger and grief, and it has made her numb to pretty much everything around her, especially the affections of her husband. She is in a very fragile state, and it is making her self-centered, impulsive and distant. The handsome older writer who enters her life one fateful summer provides a tantalizingly welcome escape from her troubles.